Feeding pets is Heather Govea’s passion and profession

The amount of shelf space devoted to pet food continue to expand as do the online, direct-to-consumer options. Heather Govea wants to make the choice clearer and cleaner through her Vital Essentials brand.

Growing up, I had it all figured out — I'd be the neighborhood vet saving every stray that wandered across my door. Turns out, life had other plans.

I was dead set on that vet dream until I started working at a clinic and saw something that changed everything. It wasn't the surgeries or the dramatic rescues that got to me — it was watching how the right food could completely turn around a sick animal's life. Dogs that came in barely hanging on would bounce back with proper nutrition. That's when it clicked: why wait until they're sick when you can keep them healthy from the start?

So, I pivoted. I got my Animal Science degree from Cal Poly Pomona and dove headfirst into pet nutrition. I had to earn my seat at the table — a table filled with men who had been in this industry much longer than I had. But I didn't let that slow me down — I just put my head down and learned everything I could, starting as a field sales rep and working my way through the different business functions. Turns out, understanding every piece of the puzzle makes you way better at running the whole show.

After decades in this industry, I became CEO of Carnivore Meat Company in 2024. Our brand, Vital Essentials, is on a mission to make raw feeding more accessible to pet parents who want to do the right thing for their pet’s health.

Here's what drives me crazy: the pet food world loves to overcomplicate things. Pet parents get bombarded with jargon and lengthy labels, and half the time they leave the store more confused than when they walked in. My job is to cut through that noise. You shouldn't need a degree in animal science to feed your dog well — and trust me, I have one, so I know.

We're out here competing with companies that have mass awareness and unlimited budgets, but we are scrappy. We're constantly challenging ourselves to come up with new formats and unique proteins because pets are members of the family. They have real dietary needs and preferences, and pet parents shouldn't need to manage another complicated decision when they already have too much on their plates.

The thing is, I still think about those animals from the clinic all the time. The ones whose whole lives changed because someone finally gave them the right food. Now instead of helping one pet at a time, we're reaching thousands. My trio of black rescue dogs at home are my daily reminder of why this work matters — they're happy, healthy, and frankly, a little spoiled.

When I look back at that girl who wanted to save every animal, I realize I'm still doing exactly that, just on a bigger scale. Through Carnivore Meat Company and Vital Essentials, we're givingpet parents the tools they need to keep their animals healthy and happy. We’re still saving the world, one dog and cat at a time — we're just doing it from the bowl up.